Soon, they passed through the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone had stripped off their shirts and sprawled on the deck, unable to bear the heat—it felt like they were being cooked alive.
Daichi silently tried to attune himself to the temperature, hoping to grasp something through the experience.
Unfortunately, it didn't work. Maybe it wasn't hot enough yet.
Eventually, even he gave in and took off his shirt. This damn weather was too much.
They then crossed South America and approached the South Pacific, sailing past Easter Island.
Next came Antarctica—its freezing cold made it feel like they'd traveled through all four seasons in a single day.
Daichi still tried to attune himself to the temperature. Wearing summer clothes in the bitter cold, he tried to blend with the frigid winds.
At the same time, he pushed his perception to the limit, focusing on the flow of every gust of wind—but to little effect.
He had to stop. Just as the Devouring Soul Slate had said—it was still too early.
By nightfall, they'd already traveled a greater distance in one day than their entire previous journey.
Deep into the night, Nobita stood on the deck, cloaked, lost in thoughts of Shizuka.
Flock was also awake. The two stood side by side, talking about their pasts.
Daichi, lying nearby, quietly listened. Flock explained how his mother had originally built the ship and his father later turned it into a pirate vessel.
But when Daichi heard that Flock had taught himself mechanical engineering, he had complicated feelings.
It was already hard enough with one genius like Dekisugi on board, and now another one shows up? What was he, chopped liver?
While they were talking, Flock suddenly spotted a yellow glow on the ocean.
"Nobita, do you see that?"
Nobita followed his gaze and spotted the glowing light.
As it drew near, Daichi activated his perception and sensed it too—it was the glowing jellyfish.
"If the jellyfish is here," he muttered, "we should be meeting them tomorrow. And this time, I won't hold back—especially not on that bastard."
He stayed in bed, silently monitoring everything on deck.
The jellyfish leapt out of the water, landing squarely on Nobita's face, then tugged at his hand in a particular direction.
Nobita immediately understood. "Isn't this the same jellyfish Shizuka had? It's… trying to lead us to her?"
He saw how injured it was and gently scooped it into his arms. "It's okay. We're on our way to find Shizuka. Just rest now—we'll see her soon. I promise."
The jellyfish finally relaxed and curled up to sleep.
"You know this little guy?" asked Flock. He hadn't been on board when they released it.
"This is the one jellyfish that was afraid of water, so it stayed with Shizuka instead of swimming away."
Flock looked utterly dumbfounded. "Are you messing with me? A jellyfish afraid of water? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"
Nobita laughed awkwardly—he wasn't sure he believed it either.
"Anyway, let's get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us."
Flock had no objections, and they both returned to the cabin.
—
The next morning, everyone was awakened early by Doraemon tapping them awake with a map in hand.
"We're about to reach Treasure Island! Get ready for battle!"
Everyone snapped to alert. While the rest went to the bow to scout ahead, Dekisugi climbed up to the crow's nest—his vision was the sharpest.
As the sun fully rose, golden light bathed them in warmth.
Daichi felt a strange energy—the gentle yet invigorating power of the morning sun. He closed his eyes, attempting to sense the rhythm of dawn itself.
He opened them a few moments later, his mind teetering on the edge of understanding—but just short of clarity.
Still, his effort wasn't in vain. Within the sigil, the Sun pattern now shimmered faintly—more vibrant than the others.
Following the advice of the Devouring Soul Slate, he hadn't tried to invoke its power, so he didn't yet know what it would do.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
The slate never said anything about not invoking the sigils of Past or Future.
Why not give it a try?
He channeled a bit of mana into the Future sigil, and a vision unfolded before his eyes:
He stood in the sky, surrounded by roaring hurricanes, swirling snowflakes, and crackling lightning. Below him, people scattered in panic, fleeing from the storm.
The image lasted just a few seconds before vanishing. Blood trickled from his nose. His brain was injured.
Daichi quietly wiped it away without telling anyone.
"Looks like using the Future sigil still has a price…"
Just then, he spotted a rising island on the horizon.
Dekisugi noticed it too. "Eleven o'clock! Island ahead—possibly Treasure Island!"
Doraemon pulled out a scroll and confirmed. "That's it! Full speed ahead!"
As they neared, the island's form became clearer. But it wasn't just an island anymore—it was a futuristic city. Towering buildings, advanced technology… and a massive hologram of a person.
The man turned toward them.
A gap opened in the ship's outer shield. Shizuka stepped through it.
Even from far away, she waved enthusiastically. Everyone on the ship cheered.
Except for Daichi. He smacked his forehead in frustration.
Why the hell was she coming out now? Wait until we're close! Doesn't she know how dangerous this is?
Sure enough, his fears came true. Along with Sarah came two pirates—one fat, one thin.
Daichi instantly recognized them as the ones who had attacked them on the ship.
Shizuka was now playing cat and mouse with them, Sarah trying to intervene, but the two pirates ignored her, determined to drag Shizuka back.
Their ship was still too far to intervene.
Suddenly, the submarine beneath Treasure Island launched several torpedoes.
Doraemon reacted fast, swerving the ship and managing to dodge all ten—but the sharp turn forced the ship into a stall.
They had to restart the engines.
Shizuka was in grave danger.
Before anyone could act, a hologram appeared above the island—Captain John himself.
"Why are you following us? Leave now, or be buried beneath the sea!"
The voice boomed across the sky, sending a wave of fear through the crew.
All except Daichi.
Without warning, he walked up behind Flock, clamped a hand over his mouth, and pressed a dagger to his neck.
Everyone panicked. Not even Dekisugi saw it coming.
Daichi faced the hologram, unflinching. "Now, now, don't be so heartless, Captain John. We sailed halfway around the world to return your son. And this is how you greet us?"
"You don't care about your son at all? I'm holding his life right here. Fire another torpedo, and the only thing you'll be getting back is a corpse."
He pressed the blade slightly—just enough to draw a thin trickle of blood.
Gian and Suneo rushed forward, trying to stop him.
But Daichi was ready. He fired a Tier-2 Sleep spell, one for each, kicking the enchantment directly into their faces.
Both dropped instantly.
That combo worked pretty well. Might be useful in the future.
Nobita, clueless that it was a spell, thought Daichi had just knocked them unconscious and begged Doraemon to intervene.
But of course, Doraemon failed once again—reaching into his pocket only to find an old squid someone had stuffed in there days ago.
Dekisugi was alarmed and ready to stop Daichi himself.
But then he heard Daichi's voice in his mind: Don't worry, I haven't lost it. Gian and Suneo are just asleep. I'm trying to fix some family issues. Don't interfere. I won't actually hurt him.
Dekisugi hesitated, then backed off. He trusted Daichi. If he was calm enough to say this, he must have a reason.
Captain John, startled by the threat, wavered for the first time.
This kid clearly didn't care about his companions. Which meant he'd care even less about Flock, who wasn't even a real comrade.
If something happened to Flock, he'd have no way to explain it to his late wife, Fiona.
And so, Daichi held the entire crew at bay—and began his negotiation with Captain John.
(End of Chapter)